Disrupting the Narrative: Telling Stories with 360-Degree Video

The 360-degree video is one of the amazing ideas, especially regarding its productiveness. It has been already proved to be significant in the case of online marketing arena, presenting a tutorial or during product demonstrations. The awesomeness of the idea is also evident while preparing a party video or for entertainment purpose. At the same time, it looks promising for the world of media as well.

360-degree video and the contemporary reporting

Offering multiple angles to the viewer while shooting, the concept has enabled the journalists to convey their thoughts or messages with it. At the same time, capturing the multiple sections of the same video offers added scopes to analyse the content and to investigate it in numerous ways. The best part of the whole aspect is that you can’t just impose any thought or idea on the audience mind. The viewer accepts it the way he/she has to.

It’s quite obvious for the 360-degree videos to be prolific regarding conducting the news room debates. The experience offers with a VR headset simply takes the whole analysis process to a new level. It’s like offering the needful flexibility to conduct the all-out breakdown with a greater ease, focussing each part of any incident in multiple ways.

The challenge:

The enhanced multi-angled view of an incident has certainly appeared to be challenging for those who are used-to with the classic ways of journalism. The conventional journalism approaches used to be simple if you don’t try to make it upgraded. It’s like presenting things the way it appears and the way everyone sees it.

But, in contemporary cases, especially through the inception of the 360-degree videos, it’s moreover like convincing the audience about the whole aspect through the perfect blend of graphic works, using the right camera technology, etc.

The challenge is now about being best with storytelling through the inception of 360-degree videos, as you are already enjoying adequate assists on this regard starting from camera works to the graphics.

Everyone being the best, same way

Seeing the whole aspect the other way, it would be evident that though the usage of 360-degree video is rapidly growing, at the same time, it is also evident that not all have managed to present the best of it.

These days the reporting videos might have gone upgraded, but these are all quite equivalent regarding presentation. This happens as everyone finds the same definition of the best, presenting the same way. Again, the usage of VR headsets can’t be used too much as well. Hence, there is every chance of these videos to appear the same way, unless you don’t come up with something creative.

It differs from a known news centre and a rookie

360-degree videos are demanding the news houses to be extremely good regarding storytelling, camera work and narrative. In the case of the renowned journalism centres, people might accept the reporter conveying the whole happening (as they trust the person).

But, the case is quite different in the case of the general centres. And, 360-degree video is like a gift for them. However, it’s a fact at the same time that they should be very adept at playing with the concept in the most prolific ways.

In such cases, the emerging news houses need to be very specific about the technical aspects. Each aspect, starting from the camera positioning to the angle creation, all have to be very exact. Most important part here is that these organizations need to use specialized professional cameras for the cases when multiple lenses are being used.

Mistakes to avoid and the recommendation:

One of the common mistakes that have been found to be committed by the emerging media houses is when they try to blend the conventional video footages with the 360-degree videos. The intention might be to lure the audience through the fine-tuned presentation, but it doesn’t often produce the desired output from the technicalities point of views.

The best recommendation for these enthusiastic media houses is that they should make things very clear whether they want to showcase an incident in the form of conventional reporting or they wish it to be of a video narrative way; involving various characters, background score, graphics, etc.

In this way, it becomes simpler for them to prepare the content. It’s important to have it in mind that for a narrative video there should not be the blend of reporting in between, neither it should not be in a hurry to focus on the other topics.

Finally:

Going through the whole abstract, it is evident that to drag the best of 360 videos, it is crucial for the whole filming to be prepared by the story telling. An approach according to the storytelling/presentation would make it easier for the whole aspects of camera positioning, sound, graphic, and other technicalities.